Hong Kong asks China's top legislative body to resolve legal problems with postponing elections

[brooklynite]

Source: South China Morning Post

Hong Kong’s embattled leader has invoked emergency powers to postpone the Legislative Council elections scheduled for September by one year, citing health risks from the resurgent Covid-19 crisis.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced the controversial move on Friday, revealing that China’s top legislative body would step in to rule on resolving any legal issues stemming from uncertainties over the fate of the current legislature and the year-long gap without a new election.

“Since January, we have been fighting the pandemic for seven months. This pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to our economy,” she said. “Some people have said that if I am not postponing the elections, they might take legal action … while others have said if you are postponing it, you must explain clearly.”

Lam said she was invoking the colonial-era Emergency Regulations Ordinance to push the elections back from September 6 this year to September 5 next year, and her decision was fully supported by the central government.

Read more: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3095461/hong-kong-legislative-council-elections-be-postponed

[soothsayer]

1. Pushing it back a year! Now I see his inspiration for this

He thinks in a year things will be fine and he’ll be riding a rocket-like recovery to glory.

He’s barking mad, of course, but that’s what he believes.

[mpcamb]

2. More likely another couple hundred thousand will be dead if he's in office.

[soothsayer]

3. Well figure 1000 a day, unless it speeds up